Portsmouth City Council's public health boss Helen Atkinson thanks her team after being recognised by the King in the Birthday Honours
The woman who led Portsmouth’s response to the Covid pandemic - as well as trying to improve public health in a myriad other ways - has been honoured by the king
Portsmouth's public health team has been credited with getting the city recognition in the King's Birthday Honours list.
Portsmouth City Council's director of public health Helen Atkinson has been recognised with an MBE for services to public health but is adamant the award also belongs to her colleagues.
Helen said: "It's a huge and unexpected honour but it's really my colleagues that deserve the credit. My job is to lead a team and I'm so lucky to have an incredibly passionate, hardworking team supporting me, both in public health and across the council. They are all willing to go the extra mile for the people of Portsmouth and that's what is being recognised."
Along with celebrities including actress Dame Helen Mirren, rugby-star Kevin Sinfield and England's football Lionesses, Helen was honoured as one of the hundreds of people recognised for work supporting local communities.
Helen has held a range of roles in the NHS, local government and the Department of Health and Social Care during a 38-year career as well as chairing the South East Association of Directors of Public Health from 2018 to 2025.
While at the Department of Health, Helen was involved in the introduction of legislation to ban smoking in public places, a theme continued in her work in Portsmouth with the number of smokers in the city reducing by a third during Helen's tenure.
Upon taking the role of Portsmouth's Director of Public Health in January 2020, Helen soon found herself leading the city's response to the Covid-19 pandemic, something she had some experience of having previously played a key role for NHS Surrey during the Swine Flu pandemic in 2009.
During Helen's time in Portsmouth the public health team has also significantly improved the city's national rankings for identifying cardiovascular disease risk; introduced improved drug and alcohol treatment and support initiatives; improved services for children, women and sexual health; developed the Air Quality strategy for the city; secured £5m funding to introduce research for work to reduce health inequalities in the city and played a key role in the delivery of the Health and Care Portsmouth partnership to pioneer new approaches to better integrate work delivered across the NHS, the council and community groups.
Council leader Cllr Steve Pitt said: "It is fantastic that Helen has been recognised with this very deserved honour. She plays a key role in the council's strategic leadership and the work her team delivers makes a real difference to people on a daily basis."